


The Beach

by ashisverymuchonfire



Category: All Time Low, Bandom
Genre: Beach Volleyball, Beaches, Fluff, Jalex - Freeform, M/M, Summer, Summer Romance, Summer Vacation, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 23:56:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4039576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashisverymuchonfire/pseuds/ashisverymuchonfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Barakat is spending Senior Week at Ocean City, Maryland. While there, he meets Alex Gaskarth, who is cool, sexy, and probably way out of his league. But when Alex starts taking a liking to Jack, Jack makes a decision: By the time he leaves, he’ll have Alex falling head over heels for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something to Remember

**Author's Note:**

> oh look a Jalex fic
> 
> so this is going to be a bit like WSB with the fact that it’ll be six chapters long and fluffy with a little bit of drama. not as much drama, though; at times, it might seem a bit plot-less, haha. no smut in this one, either; the only warning is that there will be some alcohol use (and swearing, and sexual innuendos). Jack's POV.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> introductions & sexual innuendos

“We are absolutely crazy.”  
  
As I take in my surroundings, I can’t help but agree with what Zack is saying. It’s a Sunday afternoon in Ocean City, and, well…  
  
Seniors. Seniors everywhere.  
  
It’ll be a hell of a lot worse once the sun starts going down, but even now, I can tell that this place is going to be mobbed with crazy new graduate students, Zack and I being two of them.  
  
"Ocean City is one of the top places for Senior Week," he continues as he finds an empty space in the Days Inn parking lot. "Hell, there are even special events for it. What are we _thinking_ , Jack?”  
  
Well, at least he’s self-aware.  
  
"We’re thinking that we’re going to celebrate and have a good time," I tell him. "It’s Senior Week, man. You know what that means?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Seniors. More specifically, hot seniors."  
  
He shakes his head in amusement and hops out of the car. “Oh, no.”  
  
Zack is my best friend. Because we’ve just graduated high school and it’s the beginning of June, he and I have decided to take a two-man trip to one of the most dangerous locations for Senior Week: Ocean City, Maryland. (Cue the dramatic background music.)  
  
"If something bad happens while we’re here," Zack says as we grab our things and head inside the hotel, "it’s your fault." He says this because, yes, the trip was mainly my idea.  
  
"Bullshit," I say. "You didn’t have to come."  
  
"Yeah, but you would’ve bugged me until I did," he points out.  
  
I shrug. Unfortunately, he’s right. It seems that when I get a plan into my head, I do whatever it takes to make it happen. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though.  
  
We get checked into our room on the fourth floor, which has two double beds, a flat-screen TV, a balcony, and an ocean view. Zack says that we should probably start unpacking our things, but just the sight of the beach gives me other ideas.  
  
I open the door and step out onto the balcony, letting the nice breeze blow around me. “How about we go down there?” I call back into the room, pointing at the shore. “We can unpack later.”  
  
Zack follows me out, shrugging. “Seems pretty nice out,” he says, knowing that no matter what his answer might be, I’ll probably convince him anyways. “But we’ve gotta get the sunscreen out.”  
  
I roll my eyes. “Sunscreen is a bitch.”  
  
"Well, sunburn is an even bigger bitch," Zack replies smoothly, smirking a little. "Trust me, you do not want to endure the same pain I endured.” He’s talking about the fact that two years ago, he got sun poisoning. I’ll admit—it did not look fun.  
  
Obviously, Zack is the logic in our duo.  
  
So we head back inside and grab the sunscreen, along with towels, a volleyball, and bodyboards (we don’t have surfboards, though—we’re not  _that_  good). Then we put on our swimsuits and head down to the boardwalk and the beach.  
  
The sand is, surprisingly, not hot enough to give the bottoms of my feet third degree burns. The weather is perfect, and there’s a salty tang in the air. I haven’t been to the ocean in a long time (I’ve never even been to Ocean City before). I needed this.  
  
We find a spot and throw our things down. Zack rips his shirt off—literally—and then tosses the remains to the side, exposing his chest.  
  
"You’re too buff for your own good," I tell him, before proceeding to try it myself. It doesn’t work, and I end up throwing my shirt to the ground in frustration. "Fuck you." Zack just laughs, his serious demeanor slipping away.  
  
After we put the sunscreen on, he grins at me and says, “Race you to the water.”  
  
He starts running before he even finishes his sentence, and I take off after him a split second later. He’s fast, though, and before I know it, he’s diving headfirst into the ocean. When he pops his head back up, he proclaims, “I win!”  
  
I skid to a stop right where the water suddenly gets deeper. It’s like there’s a bit of a trench, and on the other side of it, the shallowness returns. As I look down the coast, though, I see that it isn’t like this the entire way; a bit farther to my left, the distance gets narrower and narrower, so I could just walk around the trench entirely.  
  
"If you don’t get in, I’m gonna grab you and dunk you," Zack says.  
  
I roll my eyes. “No way, you fucker.” Then I jump in before he can live up to his promise.  
  
—  
  
After maybe half an hour of riding waves with our bodyboards and just fucking around in general, Zack says, “Hey, do you want to play some volleyball?”  
  
I glance around. We’re standing near the edge of the ocean, our backs turned to it. “Actually, I don’t really see any nets anywhere.”  
  
He shakes his head. “No, I’ve been here before. I know they’re here. I think there’s a big cluster of them somewhere farther down.” He points to the left.  
  
"Okay, then let’s go find ‘em."  
  
We decide to carry our things with us, on the off chance that someone decides to steal them. As we make our way down the beach, I start to take note of all the other seniors. I actually recognize a few from our school, like Jenna McDougall and Pete Wentz—it’s kind of weird seeing them while I’m on vacation. I can’t help but check out a lot of the ones I don’t know, because—like I told Zack earlier that they would be—they’re hot.  
  
Zack doesn’t know about this, but I’m actually looking for a little something over the course of Senior Week. I don’t know what—well, more like who—the something is going to be just yet, but I’m determined to find them.  
  
After what feels like forever, Zack points up ahead, where I see a bunch of volleyball nets. “There!”  
  
We start walking faster, but when we get there, I think both of us realize the problem at the same time: All the nets are taken.  
  
"Well, there’s only two of us," Zack says. "So we could maybe join someone else’s game…"  
  
Most of the nets are pretty full, but then I notice one near the edge of the cluster, where two guys are casually playing one-on-one. I nod at it. “Over there, maybe?”  
  
Zack shrugs. “We could see.” He starts to walk over, and I follow him.  
  
"Hey!" I call, causing one of the guys to jump and turn to me, distracted. Right at his moment of weakness, the volleyball whacks him in the head, and the other guy laughs.  
  
The first guy turns to him. “Fuck you, Rian!”  
  
I can’t help but laugh, too, as Zack and I make our way over. “Uh, I’m Jack,” I say, waving. “And this is Zack. Mind if we join you?”  
  
"No, I don’t mind," says Whacked-By-a-Volleyball Guy. He gestures to the other guy, Rian, who is still laughing. "Ten bucks says you’re both nicer than this asshole. I’m Alex, by the way." He raises his voice. "Rian, are you listening? These guys are joining us."  
  
Rian nods and gives us a thumbs-up. “Fantastic. Who’s on what side? I refuse to work with you.”  
  
Alex flips him off. “Fine, then.” He turns to Zack and I. “Take your pick. Me or the asshole.”  
  
“ _You’re_  the asshole!” Rian says.  
  
"Reminds me of us," Zack says to me. He nods at Rian. "I’ll take the asshole. I’m used to them."  
  
I snort as he drops his stuff and goes over to Rian. “Thanks, Hasselhoff,” I call after him, dropping my own things.  
  
Alex laughs. “Good one. Hey, Rian! The team that loses has to pay for pizza!”  
  
"You’re on!"  
  
Alex picks up the volleyball from where it landed on the ground next to him. “Okay. Now let’s play with some balls!”  
  
With that, we start an intense two-on-two game that mainly consists of insulting the other team and beating any sort of volleyball rules with a prison shank. As I watch Alex, I can’t help but notice a few things about him, like his confident stride or the way his t-shirt outlines his profile. Like many other people here, he’s pretty damn attractive.  
  
"Does anyone know when volleyball games typically end?" he asks after a while. "Because I’m pretty sure Jack and I kicked your asses."  
  
"I was keeping score," Zack says, "and I’m pretty sure  _we_  kicked  _your_  asses.”  
  
"Well, maybe I was keeping score, too," Alex says. "And according to  _my_  scores, we win.”  
  
"Dude, you don’t even know how to play actual volleyball," Rian points out.  
  
"That is completely irrelevant, Rian."  
  
Now I really wish I’d been keeping score.  
  
"If we won, I refuse to pay for the pizza."  
  
Alex throws his hands up. “Fine, whatever. Actually, no, wait.”  
  
He runs over to the side and grabs a surfboard I didn’t see before. Damn, he can  _surf_?  
  
"If I don’t catch this next wave," he says, "I’ll accept our supposed defeat. If I do, we get a rematch."  
  
Rian folds his arms across his chest, smiling a little in amusement. “Fine. Only if you ride it the whole way in, though.”  
  
Alex pumps his fist. “Yes!” Then he takes his shirt off and runs out to the water.  
  
I can’t help but smile, too. I like this guy. He’s cool and funny, and now that he’s shirtless, I can confirm that he’s pretty sexy, too. Which means that I probably don’t stand a chance with him.  
  
I can see him hopping onto his surfboard and paddling out into the water, looking (to me, at least) like a professional. After a few moments, a wave swells up, and then I see him on top of the surfboard, coasting along.  
  
Yeah, I  _definitely_  don’t stand a chance with him.  
  
He sticks his tongue out and yells, “Woo! Fuck yeah! Rematch, Rian fucking Dawson!”  
  
As if to jinx him, the wave starts to crash, eventually cresting right over his head. For a moment he’s lost in the water, but after the wave passes, his head pops up with the surfboard only a few feet away. He grabs it and swims to shore, washing up in the sand.  
  
"Rematch, Alex fucking Gaskarth?" Rian says. "I don’t think so."  
  
Alex stands up. “Um, yes. Did you see that? That was called catching the wave.”  
  
"Yeah, but did you ride it the whole way in? Nope."  
  
"Ha," I say automatically. " _Ride it the whole way in_.” I raise my eyebrows suggestively, and Zack shakes his head.  
  
Alex laughs. “Get the food, Pizza Boy,” Rian says to him.  
  
He flips Rian off and starts to walk back to us. He’s soaked now, and for what seems like the hundredth time today, I think,  _Damn._  
  
"I’ll come with you if you want," I tell him, the words falling out of my mouth before I can think them through. "You know, to get the pizza."  
  
"Really? Awesome." He gives me a warm smile. "Let’s go."  
  
We head up to the boardwalk, to a pizza place not too far away. “So,” Alex says. “I’m assuming you and Zack are here for Senior Week, too?”  
  
"Yep," I reply. "Zack and I are stealing some of this pizza, by the way. I am, at least."  
  
He sticks his tongue out at me. “Asshole.”  
  
"Dick," I say, smirking a little.  
  
Alex looks at me with what seems like genuine interest. “Well, now I know whether you’d be a top or a bottom. Since you’re the asshole.”  
  
"How do you know if I’m gay or not?"  
  
"I don’t. But, theoretically, if you were, now I know you’d be a bottom."  
  
I snort. “Does this mean that if you, theoretically, were gay, then you’d be on top?”  
  
"Yes," he says, as if it’s the most casual thing in the world. "Theoretically."  
  
As we get to the pizza place and order our food, it hits me: I think I’ve found my something.  
  
So, right then and there, I make a promise to myself.  
  
By the end of Senior Week, I will have Alex fucking Gaskarth falling in love with me.


	2. Maybe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> carnival rides & frozen yogurt

“Aw, come on, Zack. Don’t abandon me on the boardwalk alone.”  
  
It’s around six o’clock in the evening now, and Zack and I are in our hotel room. I want to go out to the boardwalk, but Zack is tired and just wants to stay here.  
  
"You’ll be fine," he says. "I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I’m not really in the mood to be out partying."  
  
I groan loudly. “But  _Zaaaack_ ,” I whine. “We’re on vacation. We should be doing things.”  
  
He laughs a little, rubbing his eyes. He does look pretty tired. I can’t say that I blame him—I had him up until at least four last night, and he drove us here, so he couldn’t sleep in the car like I did.  
  
"Go have fun," he says. "It’s the first day. We’ve got a whole week to do things. You could find Alex and Rian or something."  
  
At the mention of Alex, I can’t help but smile a little. My emotions from earlier today haven’t changed—I still find myself attracted to him, and maybe, just maybe, I can make him feel the same way about me. “Yeah,” I say, nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. I could do that.”  
  
"Yeah, you could." Zack lies down on one of the beds. "Now run along, you crazy bastard," he teases, motioning with his hand.  
  
"I will," I reply. "Later, Zack."  
  
I make my way down to the boardwalk. Damn—I thought the place was crowded earlier, but now it couldn’t be more obvious that it’s Senior Week. There are groups of graduates everywhere, and along with them are the cops.  _Why do we need cops?_  I wonder, before remembering that we’re teenagers.  
  
At this point, I realize that finding Alex or Rian is going to be difficult considering the large amount of people and the fact that I have no way to contact either of them. We promised we’d see each other more over the week, but maybe I should’ve gotten their numbers or something.  
  
Then someone calls, “Jack!”  
  
I turn to the direction of the voice and find Rian waving at me from next to one of the Candy Kitchens (I’ve seen two so far). Alex isn’t with him, but a girl is.  
  
"Oh, hey!" I call back, heading over to them and trying to hide my disappointment. Honestly, I want to spend more time with Alex, and I only have a week to do it.  
  
"I was just looking for you," Rian says. "Alex is, too. I sort of abandoned him, and he didn’t want to be a third wheel anyways." He gestures to the girl, who (I assume) is his girlfriend. "But yeah, he told me to watch for you or Zack because he wants someone to ride the Zipper with him."  
  
I raise an eyebrow. “What the hell is the Zipper?”  
  
"A crazy-ass ride," the girl explains, laughing a little. "But if you don’t puke, it’s really fun."  
  
"Even if you  _do_  puke, it’s really fun,” Rian adds.  
  
A smile finds its way onto my face. “Well, it just so happens that I don’t have Zack with me and am quite lonely myself. To the crazy-ass ride I go. I’m guessing that Alex is that way?” I point down the boardwalk, toward where all the rides are.  
  
Rian nods. “Yep. You should find him somewhere around there. Have fun, and don’t die.”  
  
"I won’t," I promise, before saluting him and walking away.  
  
It’s pretty far down, but after some time (and passing my third Candy Kitchen), I find myself near rides like the Haunted House and then, finally, it opens up into a small carnival-type place with rides everywhere. There’s a booth in the front for buying tickets, and leaning up on the side of it is none other than Alex Gaskarth.  
  
I wave at him. “Alex!”  
  
He looks up and smiles when he sees me. “Hey, Jack! I was just looking for you.”  
  
"Yeah, I know. I just ran into Rian. He said something about the Zipper?"  
  
Alex claps his hands. “Yes!” He walks away from the booth, pointing to a ride right behind it on the left. “That’s that thing right there.”  
  
Looking at it, I don’t doubt what Rian and his probably-girlfriend said. The ride is set up sort of like a Ferris wheel, except 1) it’s shaped more like a thin oval-type thing (for lack of a better description), and 2) the seats are completely enclosed and angled in a way that leaves you sort of half-standing and half-sitting, leaning against the door and the bars in front of it. As the ride starts up, the seats move forward, and once they reach one of the ends of the oval, they flip over to the other side—and don’t stop. From there, the seats just keep flipping back and forth, and I can hear the people riding it half-laughing, half-screaming.  
  
"Seems…interesting," I say, giving Alex a sideways glance. "I’m assuming you’ve been on it before?"  
  
Alex nods. “Oh, yeah. It’s like a fucking tradition for me. Whenever I go to these types of places, and they have this thing, I ride it at least once.”  
  
"Damn. I’ve never been on it."  
  
He looks at me like I’ve just admitted to committing murder. “Well, that’s gonna change right now,” he says, pulling out some tickets—I guess he already bought them. He hands a few to me and then heads over to the Zipper, which has hardly any line, surprisingly.  
  
It doesn’t take long for it to finish its run. The riders stumble out a few at a time, still laughing. Alex turns to me and smiles. “Ready, Jack?”  
  
I nod, smiling back at him. “Absolutely.”  
  
Like a Ferris wheel, the pairs of riders have to get in individually. When it’s our turn, we hand our tickets to the person taking them and hop into the seat, which results in us in the awkward half-standing, half-sitting position until a worker closes our door. Alex and I reach our hands out and grab ahold of the bars.  
  
The ride shifts, moving us upward before stopping to let the final pair get in, leaving us to sort of dangle with our seat rocking back and forth. “Hurry the fuck up,” Alex stage-whispers, and as if on cue, the ride starts.  
  
For maybe the first half of a second, we’re just moving. Then we’re tossed upside down, and that’s when the real fun begins.  
  
From there, I don’t know what to expect. It’s an endless line of spinning and flipping, with Alex and I half-laughing and half-screaming like everyone else.  
  
"Oh my fucking God!" I yell.  
  
"Language!" Alex teases in between laughter.  
  
The next flip I’m unprepared for, and I accidentally bang my head against the door.  
  
"Secure your head, dammit!" Alex says.  
  
"Language!"  
  
My face hurts from the laughing and the screaming, but I can’t stop. Before I know it, the ride slows, and then we’re lowered down.  
  
"Holy shit," I say breathlessly as we step back on solid ground. I’m kind of dizzy, and it takes a few seconds for me to reorient myself, but I’m still laughing. "That was…wow."  
  
"I know, right?" Alex says as we stumble back onto the boardwalk. "Ah, the joys of carnival rides."  
  
"We should do that again," I say, still in a bit of a daze.  
  
"Yeah, but I’m kind of in the mood for Sweet Frog," Alex says.  
  
I give him a confused look. “What the hell is Sweet Frog?”  
  
He gives me the same look that he gave me when I told him I’d never been on the Zipper. “Oh, you poor, deprived child,” he says, putting a hand on my shoulder. “It’s a frozen yogurt place and I’m ninety-nine percent sure that it holds the secrets of the universe.” Without warning, he takes my hand, and I smile at his touch. “And I will not rest until I make sure you experience it.”  
  
"Awesome," I say, and with that, he leads me down the boardwalk back the way I came.  
  
"Question," I say as we pass a Candy Kitchen. "How many of those places are there?" I point at it.  
  
"I’ve counted four. Boardwalks are crazy. They’re determined to give us all a sugar high."  
  
Alex lets go of my hand as we slow down a little. I can’t help but think that we seem to have switched roles—it’s like  _he’s_  the one trying to make  _me_  fall in love with him instead of the other way around. I have to fix that, but I can’t be too obvious, or I might just scare him away.  
  
I shift my body a bit closer to him. He glances at me—taking note of that, I guess—but he doesn’t move away. He just smiles again and says, “So how long are you staying?”  
  
"Until next Sunday." When the words are out of my mouth, I realize how little time I really have. One week, and that’s it. One week to make Alex fall in love with me, a completely average guy. What the hell am I thinking?  
  
"Us too," Alex says. He points up ahead, to a sign that says "Sweet Frog" with a cartoon picture of two frogs on it. "There it is," he says, taking my hand again. I can’t help but wonder: Is he trying to show interest in me, or is he just really friendly?  
  
He leads me up to the place and opens the door. It’s pretty small, with a railing separating the left side (which has a rack of cups up ahead) and the right, where the counter (which has a bunch of toppings lined up) and the cashier are. There aren’t even any tables, but there are places to sit down right outside and along the boardwalk.  
  
Alex walks down the left side, pointing to the cups. “Those are the sizes,” he explains. “Pink is small, green is medium, and blue is large.” He grabs a blue cup, and after a moment, I shrug and grab one, too. Fuck it.  
  
"The flavors are right here," Alex continues, walking down to the end of the railing and pointing along the wall, where there are a bunch of dispensers for different flavors. The signs above them tell what flavor they are. "You can get as many different flavors as you want and however much of it as you want." He grins. "Go nuts."  
  
We race over to the flavors, where I get a brilliant idea and smirk a little. I start at the first flavor and go down the line, getting a little bit of each. Alex turns around to watch me and laughs. “Oh, I see what you’re doing.”  
  
By the time I’m done, I’ve got some of every flavor available, from chocolate to raspberry pomegranate to fucking toasted marshmallow. We round the corner to the other side of the railing and begin putting on toppings.  
  
"You’re insane, man," Alex says. I’ve decided to take a bit of every topping, which includes fruits, chocolates, and gummy worms, for starters. Just as I think I’m finished, Alex holds up a can of whipped cream. "Wait! You can’t forget this!"  
  
"Oh, right." I take it from him and top off my frozen yogurt concoction. "How stupid of me. Thanks."  
  
"No problem."  
  
When I hand it back to him, his hand brushes against mine for slightly longer than necessary (or maybe that’s just my imagination). We lock eyes, and I think I can see a faint blush on Alex’s cheeks before he looks away, takes the can, and uses it for his own yogurt.  
  
"Now we weigh these bad boys," Alex says, heading over to the cashier and setting his cup down on a scale. A number pops up on the screen, measured in grams, followed by a price based on the number. Alex pays, and then it’s my turn.  
  
We walk out of the store and sit down on some chairs right outside. Just as I’m about to dig in, someone says, “Alex!”  
  
I glance up to see a group of guys, plus one girl, pausing in front of the Sweet Frog entrance and looking in Alex’s direction. Alex waves at them. “Oh, hey! Fancy seeing you guys around.” I give him a questioning look. “Friends from school,” he explains.  
  
I nod. The guys are all going inside now, but the girl hangs back, staring at Alex strangely. “Alex,” she says.  
  
He looks back up at her. “Yeah, Tay?”  
  
Her cheeks turn a bit red. “Uh…actually, never mind.” With that, she follows the rest of her group.  
  
I narrow my eyes. “What was  _that_  about?”  
  
Alex shrugs, seeming genuinely clueless. “I don’t know.” He nods at my cup. “Have you tried your Master Frozen Yogurt yet?”  
  
"Uh…hold on a second." I take a large bite, and it’s fucking fantastic. I let out a long " _Mmmm_.”  
  
"Is it not magical?"  
  
"It is very magical," I agree.  
  
We lock eyes again, and I swear that Alex really does blush this time. Then he blinks a few times and shakes his head, taking a bite of his own yogurt and regaining his unwavering confidence.  
  
But that’s a lie—it  _does_  waver, and somehow, I’m the one who causes it to. It makes me think that maybe my summer plan really isn’t hopeless. It makes me think that maybe I’m not completely in over my head.  
  
Maybe. Just maybe.


	3. Two Kids, No Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> four-person bikes & parties

When I wake up the next morning, Zack asks me, “To the beach?”  
  
I nod, smiling. “To the beach.”  
  
Last night, after Sweet Frog, Alex and I just hung out on the boardwalk for a while, talking and watching other seniors in amusement. Before we parted ways, we agreed to meet at the beach the next day, specifically on 23rd Street. That’s right outside of Days Inn.  
  
We get there before Alex and Rian do. It’s only around nine and sort of cloudy out, but at least we’re not stuck in a burning inferno. Zack and I apply our sunscreen (Zack does  _not_ rip his shirt off this time, since he actually likes this one), and once we’re done, I see two guys heading toward us. They’re carrying a box, four water bottles, and some towels, and one of them yells, “Hey, guys!”  
  
"Rian!" Zack yells back, waving.  
  
Rian nods in our direction, and Alex sticks his tongue out. Once they reach us, they set the box down and hand us both water bottles.  
  
"We didn’t know what you wanted, so we figured you couldn’t really go wrong with water," Rian explains.  
  
I look down at the box and the logo on it. “You got Dunkin’ Donuts?”  
  
Alex smiles widely. “Full dozen, baby.” I blush at the word “baby”, though I know he’s probably not using if flirtatiously.  
  
"Oh my God. You’re officially my new favorite people," Zack says, opening the box and pulling out a glazed donut. "Fuck you, Jack."  
  
"Fine," I tease back. "Alex is my new favorite person anyways after all the  _fun_  we had last night.” I make sure to say the word “fun” as suggestively as possible. “Which you missed out on. Asshole.”  
  
"Does that make me an asshole, too?" Rian asks as he and Alex set their towels down.  
  
"No," I say, "you were with that girl."  
  
"Cass," Rian says, smiling and blushing. Aww.  
  
We all sit down around the box on our towels. “Right,” I say. “So you had an excuse.” I point at Zack. “He, however, does not.” Zack flips me off.  
  
"Sometimes," Alex says to Rian, "you and Cass are so cute together it makes me want to throw up."  
  
"You’re just jealous because you’re single," Rian says in between bites of his donut.  
  
"That is a lie," Alex says, glancing at me. "It’s just that when I see two people in a relationship, and I am not in one myself, I get an urge to vomit."  
  
"Yeah. Because you’re jealous." He gives Alex a knowing look that Zack and I aren’t a part of.  
  
Alex rolls his eyes. “Oh, blah, blah, blah. What do you know?”  
  
"I’m your best friend."  
  
He laughs awkwardly. “That doesn’t mean anything.”  
  
"I agree," I add, nodding at Zack. "He’s my best friend, and I bet he doesn’t even know when my birthday is."  
  
"June 18," Zack replies without missing a beat.  
  
I stick my tongue out at him. “Lucky guess.”  
  
After we’re done eating (we’ve still got a couple leftover donuts, but oh well), Rian says, “Well, now we’ve got to wait an hour before we go in the water!”  
  
"Fuck you," Alex and I say in unison, and with that, we sprint down to the ocean. Rian and Zack chase after us—they’re definitely the more responsible ones here.  
  
Alex pushes me down almost as soon as I get to the shore. The waves crash around me, and I lift my head up, laughing and spitting out saltwater. “Dick!” I yell, before grabbing him by his leg and pulling him in with me.  
  
"Asshole!" he yells back, standing and kicking water up around us.  
  
"Is that our thing now?" I ask, standing up with him. "Dick and asshole?"  
  
He gives me a playful smile, splashing me again. “If you want it to be.”  
  
I shoot that smile right back at him. “Okay, then. I do.”  
  
Fucking around in the ocean, even without bodyboards or anything, is still surprisingly entertaining. It isn’t even the fact that I get to admire Alex’s shirtless body—that’s just a bonus. We all seem to get along together, and there’s never a boring moment.  
  
"I think it’s funny how most kids are getting drunk and doing drugs and stupid shit during Senior Week…and then here we are," Alex points out, gesturing to our surroundings, "chasing each other around in the ocean."  
  
"I regret nothing!" I announce, pumping my fist in the air.  
  
Alex laughs and turns around to glance at the shore, his expression changing and his eyes narrowing.  
  
"What?" I ask, turning around with him and following his gaze. Standing on the shore is that girl we saw yesterday, Tay, and she’s staring at us. More specifically, I think she’s staring at Alex.  
  
Within about two seconds, she seems to register that we see her, and she turns away and walks quickly down the beach without saying anything. She does glance back at us, though.  
  
"Uh," I say slowly. "Alex, do you two have some sort of…I don’t know…history?" At this moment, I realize another great flaw in my plan: There is a high probability that Alex is straight, even though he joked about being theoretically gay yesterday. There are two key words there: 1)  _theoretically_ , and 2)  _joked_.  
  
He shakes his head. “No. I mean, we’re friends, but nothing beyond that. I’m not really sure what she’s doing.” He seems sincere, so I take his word for it.  
  
"Hey." Rian taps Alex on the shoulder and turns to both of us with Zack right beside him. They’ve got smiles on their faces. "We’re gonna rent one of those four-person bikes," Rian says, grinning.  
  
Alex and I exchange glances. “We are?” I ask.  
  
Rian nods. “Zack and I are gonna go up and get it. Once we’re back down here and waiting at the boardwalk, I’ll text you, Alex.”  
  
I snort. “Did you two just come up with this whole plan without us?”  
  
"Maybe," Zack replies.  
  
"Well, whatever," Alex says, looking a bit amused. "To the bike rental place you go, then."  
  
"Bossy," Rian says, flipping him off. He and Zack head back to the sand, and Alex just laughs.  
  
About twenty minutes later, we go back to where our things are at, and Alex checks his phone. Sure enough, he’s got a text from Rian from about thirty seconds ago. “That’s our cue,” he says. “I think we can leave most of our shit here, since we’ll be back soon anyways.”  
  
We both take our phones, though, and then we head back up to the boardwalk. Parked right in front of us is a red four-person bike with a red-and-white striped canopy overtop it and a seat in the front (for younger kids, probably). There are two sections, a front and a back, like a car, with pedals for each seat. There’s also a sign on the back that says “Atlantic Bike Co.” Rian and Zack are sitting in the front section, looking incredibly pleased with themselves.  
  
"Get in, losers!" Rian calls.  
  
Alex turns to me. “Well, you heard him,” he teases. “Get in, loser.”  
  
I roll my eyes and hop into one of the back seats. “ _You_  get in, loser.”  
  
So he does, sticking his tongue out at me, and then we’re off.  
  
—  
  
Oh, come on. It’s  _Senior Week_. We’re  _seniors_. You can’t expect us not to do something like this at least once.  
  
As it turns out, Pete Wentz, a guy from my school who I saw yesterday, is staying alone in his family’s summer apartment, only a few minutes away from the boardwalk. You can probably guess what this means.  
  
Yep, that’s right: He’s throwing a party.  
  
By the time we get there, it’s already in full swing. The apartment isn’t huge, but it’s definitely big enough for something like this. There’s music playing—not too crazy loud; we don’t want anyone to bust us—and people hanging around, talking, drinking, dancing. The food and drinks are in the kitchen, so naturally, that’s where we head first.  
  
"This should be interesting," Alex says to me, raising his eyebrows at some people out in the living room who are already drunk.  
  
I nod. “Tell me about it.”  
  
Let’s fast-forward a few hours. The sun has set completely, and I am out on the deck of the apartment, chatting with random people and laughing. My vision is blurry and I need to rest against something—right now it’s the railing at the edge of the deck—so I don’t fall over. I think I’m pretty intoxicated, but I don’t really care.  
  
I don’t know where Rian, Zack, and Alex are. I’m about to go back inside to look for them when someone taps me on my shoulder, and I turn around to see Alex standing in front of me.  
  
"You wanna go inside?" he asks, giving me a lopsided grin. He’s drunk, too, it seems.  
  
I smile back at him. The lights shine around him, and I can’t help but think that he looks like an angel. “Sure,” I say, taking his hand.  
  
We head back into the living room, both of us nearly falling down a couple of times. Alex pulls me to the side so we’re standing near a darker corner of the room.  
  
"Why are we over here?" I ask him, my words slurring.  
  
Alex leans in close. I can smell the alcohol on him, but I know it’s on me, too. “I like you, Jack,” he says, laughing a little and poking my shoulder.  
  
I poke him back. “Well, I like you, too.”  
  
"No." He runs his fingers lightly across my arm. "I mean I  _really_  like you.”  
  
I know he’s drunk, but is he saying what I think he’s saying?  
  
"Uh," I say. Before I can register anything else, his lips are on mine and he’s pressing my back against the wall.  
  
I kiss back eagerly, not even stopping to think. Alex takes one of my hands in his and pins it to the wall. My free hand reaches around and grabs him by the hair, and his slides under my shirt. We are fast and heated, with Alex sucking on my bottom lip before running his tongue across it. I’m happy to take the hint and open my mouth slightly, deepening the kiss.  
  
He lets his fingers roam up and down my body, resting them against my chest. Then he lets go of my hand and picks me up so that he and the wall are the only two things supporting me. I wrap my legs around his waist as he separates our lips.  
  
"I really like you," he says, breathless, his words slurring even more than mine are. Without waiting for a response, he latches his mouth onto my neck.  
  
I let out a little gasp. “Y-you said that,” I stammer with one hand still tangled in his hair and the other around his neck.  
  
"Well, it’s true," he mumbles against my skin.  
  
"Hey, lovebirds!"  
  
It takes us both a long moment to realize that the voice is directed at us, but when we do, Alex sets me down, and we both turn around. A few feet away from us is Rian. Zack is right behind him, raising his eyebrows and smiling slightly, and even though I’m wasted, I can tell that he’s giving me a look that says, “I knew it.”  
  
"We’re going now," Rian informs us. "That includes you two." He gives us a small, knowing smile. "Sorry for interrupting. I know you were getting a bit… _intimate_.”  
  
Alex and I just stand there for a few seconds. Then Alex says, “Uh…okay,” and then they lead us back through the apartment. The party is clearing up a little bit, but there are still a decent amount of people here.  
  
As we exit the apartment building and head back out to the street, Alex taps me on the shoulder and points to my head. “You’ve got skunk hair.” He giggles.  
  
I point to his hair, which is now sticking up all over the place from my fingers fucking with it. “You’ve got porcupine hair,” I reply, smiling widely. I’m kind of dizzy, but other than that, I feel pretty great.  
  
Once we get outside, Zack and I have to split and go back to the Days Inn, while Alex and Rian go to wherever the hell they’re staying.  
  
"Wait," Alex protests. He gives me a quick, sloppy kiss. "First Jack has to promise that he won’t leave me." Suddenly he sounds almost sad, and he pouts at me.  
  
Rian takes Alex and pulls him away, amused. “Looks like someone’s had too much to drink.”  
  
"Jack.  _Promise_ ,” Alex whines, sounding like a little kid.  
  
"I promise," I say, laughing and resisting the urge to return his kiss.  
  
"Okay, we can go now," Rian says. "Bye, guys!"  
  
He and Alex both turn start to leave, but Alex sends one last glance over his shoulder, sticking his tongue out before he walks away with Rian.  
  
"Well, that was…something," Zack says, raising an eyebrow and smiling a bit wider. "We should get back, though."  
  
But as we make our way back to our hotel, I can’t shake Alex from my mind, and I also can’t forget the way his lips felt on mine. Suddenly, one thought breaks through the haze of my intoxication:  
  
 _Oh, fuck. I’m really falling for this idiot, aren’t I?_


	4. Summer Holds Such Wonderful Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> parasailing & ferris wheels

The next morning goes something like this:  
  
I wake up. I feel like shit. I run to the bathroom and puke. I take some painkillers for my headache. I somehow force myself to go back to sleep.  
  
I wake up again. I  _don’t_  feel like shit. I stay awake this time.  
  
I think that all of this is somewhat amusing to Zack, who stayed mostly sober last night. “You okay there?” he asks with a little half-smile.  
  
I nod, pulling myself up into a sitting position and brushing a few stray pieces of hair out of my face. “Yeah, I think so.”  
  
"Good. Because guess what you, me, Alex, and Rian are doing today?"  
  
"What?"  
  
The smile widens. “Parasailing.”  
  
—  
  
We meet up with Alex and Rian on the boardwalk. I can feel my face heating up as I look at Alex and think of him kissing me last night. Alex, however, doesn’t show any signs that he even remembers it. He smiles at me the same way he always does, but there’s nothing behind it that I can see.  
  
"We got reservations yesterday to parasail," Rian says. "Are you guys ready?"  
  
"Absolutely," I say.  
  
Alex claps his hands together. “Alright, let’s do this shit!”  
  
We head over to the parasailing place, and shortly after, a few crew members take us out to a boat and give us life jackets. As we head out into the ocean, I sit down on one of the seats in the boat and turn to Alex, who sits down next to me. “So,” I say slowly. “Last night…”  
  
Alex laughs a little. “Oh, yeah. That was a pretty crazy party, wasn’t it? I barely remember any of it.”  
  
"Uh, yeah," I say, my mind drifting back to him pinning me against the wall. "It was pretty crazy, alright."  
  
Before either of us can say anything else, one of the crew members asks us who’s going first. We’ve decided to go two at a time, and Zack and Rian exchange glances before Rian says, “We are.”  
  
I can’t resist a chance to tease Zack. “Wow, Zack,” I say. “You always seem to want to be with Rian. I bet you’re in love with him.”  
  
Zack rolls his eyes. “Oh, sure.  _I’m_  the one who’s in love here.”  
  
"What’s that supposed to mean?"  
  
Zack gives me a look that says, “Like you don’t know.” Then he and Rian are put into their harnesses and lifted up into the air, both of them yelling and cheering.  
  
"Great job!" Alex yells.  
  
"Don’t fall, Zack!" I add.  
  
Alex laughs. “Yeah, Rian probably will, with his luck.”  
  
He and I talk for the entire time that Zack and Rian are up in the sky, which is about ten minutes. After they’re pulled back down to the boat, it’s my and Alex’s turn.  
  
We’re strapped into the harnesses, and before I know it, I feel us flying up into the sky, the wind whipping around us and the water growing farther and farther away. “Whoa,” I breathe.  
  
"Holy fuck!" Alex shouts, smiling and turning to face me. "This is so cool!"  
  
For a moment I don’t respond because I’m too busy just staring at him. The sun is still a bit low in the sky, and the faint orange light gives everything around me a soft, colorful glow. Once again, I am reminded of what it felt like to kiss him, and I want to relive that. But Alex doesn’t seem to remember it, and even if he did, we were drunk. It was probably just a stupid mistake made in the heat of the moment.  
  
"Yeah!" I agree, laughing as I try to catch my breath. This all feels so exhilarating, so crazy, and Alex’s presence isn’t helping matters much. He’s only adding to the racing beat of my heart.  
  
"Hey, Jack!" he says, breaking through my thoughts. "Later, would you and Zack want to come with us to Hooter’s for dinner?"  
  
"Hell yes!" I reply without hesitation.  
  
"Awesome!" Alex raises his voice and starts screaming, and after a few seconds, I join in so that we’re both yelling into the sky just for the sake of yelling.  
  
And as the boat rides on and pulls us across the water, as the breeze continues to fuck up our hair, as Alex and I scream in mutual adrenaline rushes, I can’t help but feel optimistic about all this. I can’t help but think that it’s far from being over just because of one drunk night. I can’t help but think that if Alex can willingly kiss me while he’s intoxicated, then he can sure as hell do it while he’s sober.  
  
—  
  
If you know me, you know that I love boobs (I’m bisexual). And if you’ve ever been to Hooter’s, you know that that place has plenty of boobs. However, on this particular night, I find myself not indulging in this boob-fest as much as I normally would. This is mainly because I’m too busy indulging in the eye candy sitting right across from me, who goes by the name of Alex Gaskarth.  
  
Throughout the whole dinner, I have countless opportunities to at least glance at a couple of Hooter’s girls, but my attention is more focused on Alex. The moment that I realize this is the moment that I realize just how smashed I am for him—I’d ignore  _boobs_  to look at him. I’ve never been able to say that about anyone else.  
  
"Jack?"  
  
His voice interrupts my thought process, and I look up, startled. “Yeah?”  
  
Alex gestures to the food at the table. “We just got our food. You were kind of staring off into space there.”  
  
I can feel my face heating up. “Oh. Yeah. Oops.”  
  
"It’s okay," he replies, smiling. Under his breath, I think I can hear him mutter, "It’s kind of cute, actually."  
  
 _Get your shit together, Barakat. Now you’re hearing things._  
  
This theory is further proven later, when we’re all walking down the boardwalk, and Rian suddenly says to Alex, “I need to talk to you for a second. Alone.”  
  
With that, he pulls my eye candy to the side, leaving Zack and I to stand a few feet away. I don’t try to eavesdrop, but I happen to overhear some of Rian’s and Alex’s conversation, which goes as follows:  
  
Rian asks, “What the hell do you think you’re doing with Jack?”  
  
"I don’t know what you mean," Alex replies calmly.  
  
"Oh, yes, you do," Rian says. "I see the way you two interact. I saw what happened last night."  
  
Alex seems caught off-guard at that, his eyes widening slightly, which is what makes me realize that he  _does_  remember. He quickly composes himself, though. “Yeah? Your point?”  
  
"Are you in love with him?"  
  
Alex shakes his head. “Absolutely not,” he says, as if the mere notion itself is crazy talk.  
  
"I don’t believe you," Rian says.  
  
After a moment of hesitation, Alex sighs. “I really like him. Okay? You caught me. Why does it matter?”  
  
"Because I don’t want a repeat of last year. We went on vacation, and you met someone, and you fell in love, and then—"  
  
"I know what happened last year," Alex snaps. He bites his lip. "I just…it’ll be different this time, okay? Jack’s probably straight anyways, so it doesn’t even matter."  
  
Yeah, I am  _definitely_  hearing things.  
  
Alex likes me.  _Really_  likes me. It doesn’t seem possible. But I have to know if what I heard was real, or if it was just a figment of my crazy imagination.  
  
I glance up at the rides near the end of the boardwalk, off in the distance. One of them is a Ferris wheel that’s starting to light up now that the sun’s going down.  
  
And as I stare at it, an idea reveals itself.  
  
I don’t say anything about it for a while. But when we start to get closer to the rides, I decide that it’s time to put my newfound plan into action.  
  
"Alex," I say slowly. "What would you say if I asked you to ride the Ferris wheel with me?"  
  
Alex turns to me, looking a bit confused. “Just us?”  
  
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zack and Rian exchanging a glance. I think they know what I’m up to.  
  
"Uh, yeah," I say nervously. Shit, what if I misheard? Or misinterpreted what he said? What if, somehow, I’m wrong? "You know, if you want to."  
  
Then Alex breaks into a wide grin. “Sure.” He turns to Zack and Rian. “Can you two wait down here, find something else to do for a little?”  
  
"Okay, okay, we get it," Rian teases, holding his hands up. "We’re not wanted. Fine. We’ll get out of your hair."  
  
Alex sticks his tongue out at him. “I’ll make it up to you with a game of MarioKart when we get home.”  
  
"Okay, deal. Now go, you stupid kids." He’s got a smile on his face that makes it look like he knows exactly what’s going to happen, and despite how serious he seemed earlier, I think he might be warming up to the idea of Alex and I.  
  
While in line, we mostly chat about random shit, both of us ignoring the fact that this probably won’t be just your average Ferris wheel ride. I know it, and I think Alex does, too, but we pretend that we’re just two guys riding this thing for the hell of it. A few people give us strange looks, as if they expect us to be doing something more dangerous and/or illegal. They’re probably wondering what we could possibly gain from riding a fucking Ferris wheel. Well, they’d be surprised.  
  
At first, we’re both quiet as our seat moves slowly upward. I think Alex is waiting for me to say something, since I’m the one who suggested this, but I’ve got a plan. I’m waiting until we get to the top.  
  
For now, though, I just enjoy the view of a rapidly darkening sky lit with orange and the gradually shrinking forms of everything below us. It feels like we’re flying right over the ocean. “It really does look pretty cool, doesn’t it?” I say, breaking the silence. “The view.”  
  
Alex nods thoughtfully, his gaze briefly lifting up to the sky before settling back on me. “Yeah,” he says. “The view. It’s…really nice.” Something tells me he’s not talking about the sky.  
  
I just nod, and then we’re both quiet again. My heart starts beating faster when I realize that we’re almost there. I have to make my move.  
  
"So, Alex," I say slowly, turning to face him. "I, uh…I’ve got something I want you to know."  
  
"Uh…you do?" Alex asks, for the first time sounding a bit nervous.  
  
"Yeah," I say. "And, um, it’s something I’ve thought pretty much since I met you…and, uh…"  
  
At this point, the wheel stops again because it’s still letting people on, and it stops with our seat at the very top. This is it.  
  
I smile, faking confidence. “Well,” I say, “maybe it’d be better if I just showed you.”  
  
And then I kiss him.  
  
For a moment, he seems caught off-guard, but then his arm wraps around my neck, pulling me closer to him as he starts to move his lips slowly. After a few seconds, he breaks it off, staring at me in awe.  
  
"Jack," he says as the wheel begins to move again. "Jack, I…I, uh…" He blushes. "Jeez, I don’t even know your last name," he says, laughing a little.  
  
I smile. “It’s Barakat.”  
  
"Barakat," Alex repeats. "Well, uh…Jack Barakat, I…wow." For the first time, he seems completely and utterly at a loss for words. Then he stumbles out, "Will you be my boyfriend?"  
  
My smile widens. “Absolutely.”  
  
And with that, my summer love, my something, is achieved.  
  
—  
  
The next two days are paradise. Alex and I, along with Zack and Rian (and occasionally Rian’s girlfriend, Cassadee), spend our days mostly just hanging out at the beach and the boardwalk. At one point, when Rian is gone because he’s with Cass, Alex invites me to their hotel room and just treats us with some alone time. I’m getting to know him better every day (sexual innuendo  _not_  intended, surprisingly).  
  
But, as it’s been said, nothing perfect lasts forever.  
  
It’s Friday morning, and Alex has planned to meet me on the boardwalk, right out in front of the Days Inn. When I get down there, eager to see him, I find him standing right where he’s supposed to be…but that’s not all.  
  
Standing right in front of him is that girl Tay. And they are kissing.


	5. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kisses & explanations

“Alex.”  
  
His name escapes my lips in a cracking voice. Alex breaks away from Tay, looking shocked, and takes a step toward me. “Jack! This isn’t what it looks like, I swear!”  
  
I laugh bitterly to cover up the hurt. “That’s what they all say.” Then, without another word, I spin around and rush back inside.  
  
"Jack!" Alex’s voice chases me, and I glance over my shoulder to see him behind me. "Jack, just let me explain—I didn’t  _want_  that!”  
  
"Sure you didn’t." I make a break for the elevator, which opens for me immediately. I hop inside and press the button that leads to my floor.  
  
"Jack, please," Alex says as he reaches me, but the doors close before he can jump in.  
  
I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I should’ve known better than to think this would all work out.  
  
When I get back to the room, Zack looks up from where he’s lying in bed, still half-asleep. “I thought you were supposed to meet up with Alex.”  
  
"I was." I go into the bathroom and shut the door before sitting down against it. The scene keeps replaying over and over in my mind, of Alex’s lips on Tay’s. I’ve only known him for a few days, but it still hurts.  
  
God, I can’t believe how  _stupid_  I was. How could I think that something like this would go well? How could I think it’d be so easy?  
  
A couple tears slip out of my eyes. What the hell? How did I get so attached? How did this whole thing start to really matter to me? How did he start to really matter to me?  
  
"Fuck," I mutter, wiping the tears away. I can’t stop thinking about the way he’s treated me. Up until now, he acted like I was so wonderful and brilliant. He acted like he really cared about me. But that’s the key word:  _acted_.  
  
And why the hell do I even care about him? He was supposed to be just a summer fling. That’s all this was supposed to be. But it went in the wrong direction—I knew that ever since the party on Monday. I knew I was falling for him, and falling fast. But did I stop it? No. I didn’t even try.  
  
And now this happened, and it’s all my fault.  
  
Someone knocks on the bathroom door. “Jack?” It’s Zack.  
  
I wipe away any leftover tears before standing up and opening the door. “Yeah?”  
  
Zack looks me over. “What happened with you and Alex?” he asks knowingly.  
  
I sigh and step out of the bathroom, sitting down on my bed. “I found him kissing this girl named Tay.”  
  
Zack’s eyes widen. “Are you serious?” When I nod, he sits down next to me. “Oh, dude, I’m so sorry. Really. That’s…” He shakes his head and puts his arm around me. “You deserve better than that.”  
  
I look up at him, suddenly noting the affection in his eyes. Zack is my best friend; has been for years. I know he cares about me.  
  
 _What if…_  
  
Unexpectedly, I find myself thinking about kissing him, about losing myself and forgetting everything in the sweetness of his lips. But that idea doesn’t have a chance to become reality, even if I really wanted it to, because then my phone rings in my pocket.  
  
Zack shifts away slightly as I pull it out and answer the call. “Hello?” I say.  
  
"Jack!" It’s Rian. "Come down here. Alex wants to talk to you."  
  
I almost hang up on him right then and there. “I don’t want anything to do with him.”  
  
"Jack, please, just give him a chance to explain."  
  
I snort. “If he’s so desperate, why isn’t he calling me himself?”  
  
"Because he knew you’d hang up as soon as you heard his voice, or even saw his number pop up. Please. He’s waiting down at the beach."  
  
I hang up and turn to Zack. “Don’t do it,” he says protectively. “He’ll…I don’t know. Just don’t go back to him.”  
  
But the truth is, I want him to explain. I want to know that there’s a good reason for what I saw. I want to know that Alex hasn’t been acting around me.  
  
I stand up. “I’m going back,” I tell Zack, suddenly realizing that kissing him is not what I want—I just want a distraction, and that’s not right, and I’m not going to use him like that. “At the very least, he owes me an explanation.”  
  
I make my way back out to the boardwalk. Rian is standing close to where Alex and Tay were, and when he sees me, he sighs in relief.  
  
"Jack!" he calls, pointing down to the coast. "He’s sitting down where we usually go to hang out."  
  
I nod without saying anything. Then I walk down to the beach, slowing my pace when I see Alex’s silhouette in front of the rising sun. He’s sitting on a beach towel with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, and the breeze softly blows his hair as he stares out into the ocean.  
  
For a second, I want to sneak up behind him and surprise him with a kiss, but that’s in the split second that I completely forget about what just happened. I sigh and sit down next to him, and he turns to me with what looks like hope written all over his face.  
  
"Jack," he says, quickly composing himself. "I—I didn’t think you’d come."  
  
"Yeah, well, I did," I say, jumping straight to the point. "Alex, I just want to know why. Tell me why."  
  
Alex sighs, too. “Tay’s a girl from my school. We’ve known each other for years, but we didn’t talk much. While I was here, I noticed that she was starting to act a bit weird around me—as you’ve seen—but I swear I’m being completely honest when I say I had no idea why until now. We were just friends. I didn’t…” He shakes his head. “I guess she had a crush on me. I’m not lying when I say that she did want that kiss. But I didn’t, Jack. I never did.”  
  
I narrow my eyes, feeling myself relax slightly at his words. “So she just…kissed you?”  
  
Alex nods. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I wasn’t moving. I was in shock, way caught off-guard. She’d been kind of shy for a while, but then she decided to just go for it. And you happened to catch that.”  
  
I think back to what I saw, to the shocked expression on Alex’s face as he pulled away from Tay. He really didn’t look that into it—Tay, on the other hand, seemed to be giving it her all.  
  
"Jack, I really like you," Alex says. "I do. I mean it. And if you’ll let me, I’ll show you that I mean it. I’m not gonna be that guy, that cheater. I don’t care how long I’ve known you. I’ll never do it. I know what it feels like—believe me, I know."  
  
That reminds me of the conversation I overheard between him and Rian, when Rian mentioned something that happened last year. It sounded like a summer love gone wrong.  
  
In that moment, I get the feeling that he’s telling the truth. I trust him. Maybe some would say that it’s a dumb move, but I do.  
  
I lean forward and kiss him softly. Pulling away, I say, “It’s okay. I believe you.” I smile. “Dick.”  
  
Alex’s face lights up. “Asshole,” he replies, laughing his familiar laugh. He sounds relaxed, but I can see it in his face—he was worried. He was afraid…of losing me.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
A girl’s voice rings out from behind us, and Alex and I both shift our bodies around to see Tay sauntering toward us like she’s the queen of the universe. “Alex,” she says. “You ran away from me earlier.”  
  
"Uh, yeah," Alex says. "I was chasing after my boyfriend."  
  
Tay glances at me scornfully. “I don’t see any boyfriend.”  
  
Alex glares at her. “He’s right here. And—”  
  
Before he can even finish his sentence, Tay leans down and kisses him, quickly pulling back before he has a chance to push her away. Then, without another word, she smirks and spins on her heel, walking back the way she came.  
  
Alex narrows his eyes, seeming stunned. After a few seconds of confused, dumbstruck silence, he calls after her, “You know, I really don’t appreciate you doing that!”  
  
"You will eventually," she calls back, flipping her hair.  
  
Alex turns to me. “I swear,” he says, “I don’t like her that way—”  
  
"I know," I say. I can see it now—he really wasn’t lying. But Tay seems determined to have him, and I don’t appreciate that, either.


	6. Never Take the Summer From Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> volleyball games & actresses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, it is the final chapter of this mini-fic! I might write a longer Jalex in the future if I get any ideas. thanks to everyone reading this little thing :)
> 
> enjoy!

“Tay!” I yell. It’s around noon, and I’ve been meaning to get her alone.  
  
Tay turns around. “What?”  
  
I sit down on one of the benches and motion for her to come over. Once she’s sitting next to me, I decide to get right to the point. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”  
  
She raises an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific.” Playing dumb. Of course.  
  
I sigh. “With Alex.”  
  
She shrugs. “I’m just showing him what he’s missing. Taking charge. Making a move.”  
  
"But I’m dating him," I say slowly.  
  
She snorts. “Not for long. I’ll have him wrapped around my finger in no time.”  
  
I think this girl is crazy. “But… _I’m dating him_ ,” I repeat, because I’m not sure how to get through to her. “I would like you to stop kissing my boyfriend.”  
  
She makes a face. “Tell you what: I challenge you to a volleyball game.”  
  
I narrow my eyes. “What does this have to do with—”  
  
"The winner gets a chance with Alex," Tay explains, as if she’s had this planned for a while now. "The loser backs off. Today at sunset." She holds her hand out to me. "Deal?"  
  
After a few seconds, I shake her hand. “Okay, fine. Whatever. Deal.”  
  
What did I just  _do_?  
  
—  
  
It’s about six p.m., and I am standing alone on one side of a volleyball court. On the other side is Tay, who looks ready to kick some ass. My ass, specifically.  
  
I’ll admit, this is kind of a stupid idea, but I refuse to let her keep trying to fuck everything up for us. So now the sun is starting to set, and here we are.  
  
"ALRIGHT!" Zack yells, uncharacteristically loud. He’s going to be the ref, apparently. "I want a good, clean match!" he says. "If either of you break the sacred rules of volleyball, you will be promptly disqualified."  
  
"Is that how professional volleyball works?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.  
  
Zack glares at me. “Shut up, Jack. I’m making a fucking speech.  _As I was saying_ , do you both know the sacred rules?”  
  
"Yes," Tay and I say. The truth is that I really don’t know all that much about volleyball, but I figure it should be enough.  
  
"Okay," Zack says, tossing the ball to me. "Jack gets the first serve."  
  
Tay scoffs. “Why?”  
  
Zack rolls his eyes. “Chill out, princess. It’s because Alex is already dating him.”  
  
I can’t help but laugh a little. Zack isn’t like this most of the time, but when he is, it’s entertaining as hell.  
  
I take a step forward and toss the ball up before spiking it over the net. With that, the game begins.  
  
I quickly realize that this may have been a bad idea. Tay could probably be a professional volleyball with the way she’s beating my ass. I can serve and hit as well as the next guy, and I’d be doing pretty good if I was playing against an average person, but when it comes to volleyball, Tay is clearly not an average person. She hits so fast and smooth that I barely have time to react before the ball is past me, and she hardly ever misses.  
  
There’s a small crowd of people watching us, and I think most of them are rooting for Tay—they all know I’m fucked. Zack does, too, judging by the looks he keeps giving me. But I don’t give up. I can’t.  
  
I don’t know how real volleyball works, but we agreed beforehand that the first person to twenty-one points would be declared the winner. At this point, Tay has twenty and I have six. Unless I can make some spectacular comeback, it’s all over.  
  
I take a deep breath, spiking the ball. Tay hits it once, popping it up into the air, and then hits it again, across the net. I hit it back, thinking that maybe I’ve got a chance, but her hands fly out faster than I’ve ever seen and whack the ball over my head, right into oblivion before I can even think about hitting it back.  
  
"That’s twenty-one points for Tay—the winner!" Zack calls, and the crowd cheers. He glances at me, biting his lip.  
  
I can’t believe I just lost Alex because of a fucking volleyball match.  
  
As if on cue, Alex Gaskarth himself bursts through the crowd with Rian right behind him. Both of them look confused. “What’s going on?” Alex asks, and then he spots me. “Jack, you were playing volleyball and you didn’t tell me?” He smiles.  
  
Tay smirks and heads over to him. Before he can protest, she kisses him.  
  
Alex pulls away, narrowing his eyes. “Tay? Stop. I told you, Jack’s my boyfriend.”  
  
"Not anymore," she sings.  
  
Alex turns back to me, looking even more confused. “What? Jack, is something going on?”  
  
I sigh and make my way over to where he’s standing. “Tay challenged me to a volleyball match. So we could…settle some things.”  
  
He just stares at me. I can see him piecing everything together.  
  
"She said that the winner would get a chance with you," I continue, "and the loser was supposed to back off."  
  
Alex shakes his head. “But, Jack, that’s stupid.”  
  
And as soon as he says it, I realize that he’s right. It  _is_  stupid.  
  
"So you lost, then?" he says.  
  
I nod. “Yeah. But I don’t want to break up with you, Alex. I really like you.”  
  
"And I really like you, too," he says, flashing me a smile. "And that’s all that matters. So what if you lost that bullshit game?" He turns to Tay, who is watching us from a few feet away. "Sorry, Tay, but I’m in love with Jack."  
  
It sounds so strange when he says it, that he’s in love with me. Strange, but…wonderful.  
  
Tay nods slowly. “Alright then,” she says, surprisingly not objecting. “Whatever. This was fun, though.”  
  
Alex and I exchange glances. “What?” I say. She sounds so different from who she was only moments ago.  
  
Tay glances at Alex. “Alex, I know you don’t know me that well, but think about it. What am I good at?”  
  
At that moment, something seems to dawn on him. “Jack,” he says, “Tay was always the leader of the drama club. Always had a major role in high school plays. She’s…an _actress_.”  
  
Tay nods, smiling. “That’s right. I’m taking an acting class over the summer, and one of my optional assignments was to make a short film, but not tell a couple of the main stars that they’re in the film—until afterwards, that is. We’ll delete the whole thing if you want us to. Most of these people are extras.” She gestures around us. “I decided to play a cocky, crazy-in-love bitch who can’t take no for an answer.”  
  
"Wow," I say, dumbstruck. "That was…you were really, really good at it."  
  
Tay’s cheeks turn a bit red. “Thanks.” Then she frowns a little. “I’m sorry if I caused a rift between you two with that kiss, though.”  
  
"We’ve got it all worked out," Alex says, shrugging. "I’m just…amazed." He turns to me and smiles, taking my hand. "But it’s all over now. We’ve still got two days left, so I say we celebrate—a successful short film for Tay, and an awesome boyfriend for me." Then he kisses me on the cheek, and Tay gives us a thumbs-up sign. (I’ve decided that I like the real Tay much better.)  
  
—  
  
The weekend goes by in a blur, and before I know it, it’s Sunday. Alex and I exchange numbers and find out that we actually live really close to each other. “This doesn’t mean it’s over,” Alex says. “I promise. This is only the beginning, Mr. Barakat.”  
  
That makes me happy, because I don’t want it to end, and when the summer inevitably does, I’ll still have this. I’ll still have him (even if we break up and it’s only in my memories). I’m in love, dammit. I didn’t plan to be, but I am. I can’t deny that.  
  
Before we leave, we rent the four-person bike again and ride it up and down the boardwalk. “I want to go somewhere one more time,” Alex says suddenly. He winks at me, and I narrow my eyes, confused.  
  
"Where?" I ask.  
  
"You’ll see," he sings. "I think you’ll remember it once we get there, Jack." Then he starts to give directions to us, which aren’t that complicated, since all we need to do is ride down one way.  
  
I recognize a lot of the shops and restaurants we pass, but I’m still not sure exactly where he’s planning on taking us.  
  
Suddenly, I notice a particular logo of cartoon frogs with big eyes. “There!” Alex says, pointing at it and grinning.  
  
"Oh my God," I say, laughing as we hop off of the bike. "Sweet Frog."  
  
Alex smiles widely. “That’s right. Some fro-yo for the way home.”  
  
"Dick," I say.  
  
"Asshole," he replies smoothly. Then he leans forward and kisses me softly.


End file.
